Clemson, S.C.—Clemson junior Jacob Bridgeman has been named to the 2021 United States Palmer Cup Team. The announcement was made on Tuesday on The Golf Channel. The Palmer Cup will be played June 11-13, 2021 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers, matching the United States against a team of international players.
Bridgeman leads the nation in stroke average with a 69.24 figure, an average that is on pace to be a Clemson single-season record. He has a team-best six top 10 finishes in seven tournaments this year, including two victories. He is ranked as the third-best player in the nation by Golfweek and seventh-best by Golfstat. He has 16 under-par rounds and is 40-under-par in his aggregate score for his 21 total rounds.
The native of Inman, SC is coming off an ACC Tournament in which he finished fifth in stroke play and posted a 2-0 record in match play with wins over Ben Shipp of NC State and Jon Pak of Florida State. His 1-up victory over Pak, the number-one player in the nation, helped the Tigers to a 3-2 team win over the Seminoles in the championship match.
On a career basis, Bridgeman’s 70.68 stroke average is the best in Clemson history. He has 35 rounds in the 60s, 44 under-par rounds, and 49 rounds at par-or-better thanks in part to his 325 career birdies in just 79 career rounds. Earlier this year he set a Clemson record for consecutive rounds under-par with 14 (last three of 2019-20 and first 11 of 2020-21).
Clemson has a strong tradition in the Palmer Cup, as a Tiger has played in the event 13 times dating to its inception in 1997 when Charles Warren competed for the United States and Richard Coughlan played for the International squad. Clemson had three competitors in 1999 and 2000. Jonathan Byrd was a United States team-best 4-0 in his matches for the United States in 1999. John Engler played for the United States in three straight Palmer Cups from 1999-2001, the only Clemson golfer to play in three.
Bridgeman will be the first Clemson player in the Palmer Cup since 2012 when Corbin Mills played for the United States in the matches at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Jacob,” said Head Coach Larry Penley, a past coach for the United States team. “He has had a great year, one of the best in Clemson history, and he showed what he can do in match play at the ACC Tournament. There is no give-up in Jacob Bridgeman. He is what you want in match play. He will represent Clemson and the United States well. “
